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Monday, 31 July 2017

Music Loves // New Releases

Hello and
welcome!

Today I am
back again with the somewhat monthly music update and new release reviews! I will also including a new aspect which is the metacritic rating of each album,
I have included the link (here) of what this rating is in case you do not know! So
shall we cut the waffling and get straight into it?

Lana Del Rey –
Lust for Life

I think it
would be pretty predictable to have this album here today seeing as I touched
on the production of new music by Lana in a previous blog. Well then, Miss Del
Rey has released her fifth album and it does not disappoint! This album is a
mixture of her 60’s/70’s aspects sensed in all four of her older albums, having a dreamy
and emotive feel to it however, this album sees Lana add-in the element of
modern day RnB and rap vibes with her
collaboration with artists such as A$AP Rocky in Summer Bummer.

"The past 4
albums have been for me, but now this one is for the fans too and where I hope
we are headed." - Rolling Stone

It stills
holds the key characteristics of a Del Rey song with explicative lyrics played
against a mellow melody such as Cherry
with her soft yet recognisable and unique melodic voice. This album
holds a much brighter perspective in comparison to previous albums such as Born
to Die which revolved around her idealising dying young and various darker
themes, this is also the first album cover Lana is seen smiling on and this
optimism is replicated throughout the album in songs such as Love and Lust for Life. She also touches on her patriotism for America in
songs such as God Bless America and
has recently taken a stand to not have American flags up when she tours anymore
in a protest against president Trump. She has received a metacritic rating of 79.

Demi Lovato –
Sorry not Sorry

Could this be
the sassiest come back song ever released? Because I think it is definitely up
there with this badass dance song paired up with Lovato’s impeccable range of vocals. Lovato herself has said that as she grows
both as an adult and an artist she is becoming more comfortable experimenting
with more ‘sexy’ sounding music as seen by Cool
for the Summer and now Sorry not
Sorry, stating that there is a range of rappers that sing about sexuality
and provocation but no female singers.

You know what I'm good now and sorry I'm not sorry that
you may not be loving where your life is at the moment. - iHeartRadio

This song is described as a song to rise above those that may
challenge you and become a better you because of it. Lovato makes it no secret
that she receives hate and she does not shy away from it often fighting back
for herself on social media Similar to Lana Del
Rey, Demi is an outspoken activist for the rights of Americans, most
importantly those of the LGBTQ audience, but is yet to comment on the recent
Trump travesty against transgender individuals no longer joining the US
military.

HAIM – Want you Back

Four years after their last album the sister trio are back
with their album Something to Tell You, continuing their pop rock descent into
the charts. However, I am not focusing on the album here but one of
the singles released from it, Want You
Back. Having been away for four years, touring with Taylor Swift and making
new music it was an anxious wait to see what they would bring and if it would
be majorly different and chart chasing or still them and luckily it sounds just
like their old album but with a bit more oompf as it is more upbeat.

When people call us a girl
band, I take it as an insult – being a girl in a band shouldn’t be a thing. - The Daily Telegraph

The trio of sisters have
always followed a pop rock route and have been compared to 70’s band Fleetwood
Mac, a less desirable comparison for the band as they outspoken in their
influences stemming more from more modern musicians such as Beyonce, covering
her in the BBC radio 1 live lounge as well as Miley Cyrus and bands like the
Strokes, whom lead vocalist Danielle work with prior to the band. Their album Something
to Tell You sits with a metacritic rating of 70.

alt-J – Relaxer

For me, this English band has always been about the music they produce rather than the lyrics embedded within it. This album for me took a little bit more time to grow than the previous two had but I got there in the end! Relaxer sees the band further experiment with orchestral and electro pop sounds producing singles such as In Cold Blood (very similar to some of their early work) and House of the Rising Sun.

We do always want our albums to be listened to as a single piece of music. - Rough Trade

Unlike their previous albums there is more influence from bands such as Radiohead with a heavier aspect of rock, where-as alt-J have always resided in the field of alternative-indie pop. This is not a negative though, I believe it shows the talent that the trio hold and I always look forward to what the next record holds when listening to new releases from this band. This album was given a metacritic rating of 65.

Foster the People – Sacred Hearts Club

Similar to Haim, this band has been away working on new music
for three years and I personally think that this album has followed a more
modern approach with only minor hints of their old synth pop influences. Songs
like SHC,Static Space Lover and Sit Next to Me are the main singles I
relate to their prior work but like alt-J this change in direction can be
viewed as an attempt to show their raw musical talent and ability to experiment
with work.

Our first record was more electro pop, the second rock and
this one is a bit more hip-hop with a psychedelic influence. - Billboard

This is definitely correct and some of the songs are very
poppy and considered more dance tunes than their regular pop-alternative
label I would usually group catagorise this band with others like Bombay
Bicycle Club but their dance influences set them a bit further away now. Although I do like this album I have to say it
is not my favourite the group has produced as I was a fan of their more
electro, synth vibes more prominent in albums such as Supermodel. It seems I am
not the only one though as the album was given a metacritic rating of 56!

Well, I hope this review blog was a bit insightful for you
and possibly a bit intriguing giving you some ideas for some new music to be listening
to and toe tapping away to! I may be wrong but I believe my next post will be
based around the work environment so
keep an eye out for that!